


even your emotions have an echo

by writing_in_secret



Category: Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Eventual Smut, F/M, Modern Westeros, R Plus L Does Not Equal J, Slow Burn, rated mature for sexual themes, substitute teacher/teacher fic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-22
Updated: 2020-11-22
Packaged: 2021-03-06 22:47:47
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 15,479
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26036641
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/writing_in_secret/pseuds/writing_in_secret
Summary: It's Jon Snow's first day as a longterm substitute teacher at Winterfell High. All is going well until he meets the English Department Chair. Genuine curiosity leads him to her secret blog "The Dragon Queen: Breaker of Chains" where he reads her very private, very honest thoughts and feelings. He knows he should stop, but he can't help the blood rushing and magnetic attraction between them despite her position as his direct supervisor.**not a student/teacher fic. Both Jon and Daenerys are adults in this!**
Relationships: Jon Snow/Daenerys Targaryen
Comments: 43
Kudos: 109





	1. the beginning

**Author's Note:**

> It's been a while since I wrote a fic, but I wanted to stay in this universe for a bit longer after finishing the show last week. I am ignoring that whole Jon Snow ancestry plot line that didn't do anything for the show, so Snow is the bastard we all know and love <3
> 
> I don't have a beta reader, so any mistakes are mine and only mine!

It took a lot to make Jon Snow nervous, but his first day as a long term substitute teacher at Winterfell High was on some other shit. He had taken over for Mrs. Poole’s junior English classes while she was on maternity leave. It’s not that he didn’t like English as a subject. It had just been a few years since he last learned about gerunds. 

After stumbling through a terribly nerve wracking morning, he started to feel comfortable in the front of the classroom. It wasn’t so long ago that he was on the receiving end of a high school English class, so he found himself easily settling into a classroom rapport. While he had to watch out for overzealous teenagers who liked his hair, the way he talks, or his metrosexual outfits, Jon was able to set classroom expectations and manage his first few classes pretty well. Before he knew it, the bell had rung for lunch, and he could definitely use a step away from a whiteboard. He grabbed his home-packed lunch and made his way to the teacher’s lounge. 

“Hey, you! Sir! Curly-hair guy!” said a loud voice from a very small figure. Jon turned and pointed to himself with his free hand. 

“Yes! You, stranger. You’re subbing for Jeyne, right?”

“You shouldn’t call teachers by their first name-”

“Oh, please. Arya Stark,” the brunette reached out her free hand. “I teach Freshman English.”

“Oh, Gods, I’m so sorry! I thought you were a student!” Jon flustered. 

“Don’t even worry about it. At my height, it’s commonplace. Anyway, no one really eats in the teacher’s lounge except for the subs, but you’re long term so come sit with us.” The short woman with baby pink hair motioned for him to follow her as they walked up the stairs and to what revealed itself to be a small English department room. Housing books, desks, and dust, the room revolved around multiple long tables pushed together where at least ten other teachers sat. 

  


“Friends, meet our newest temporary addition!” Arya referenced Jon like a woman on a gameshow before sitting down in the chair in front of her. 

He raised his hand in hello before introducing himself. 

“Hey, I’m Jon Snow.” He followed Arya’s lead and took the seat in front of him as he heard the litany of hellos from his new coworkers. 

“So, Snow, whatcha got for lunch there?” asked a greying man sitting across the table. “If you have anything other than salad, I would be more than happy to swap.” Jon wearily eyed the very unappetizing pile of green on the other man’s plate. Luckily, the man’s eyes crinkled up with a smile. 

“I’m just playin’ with you, Snow. They call me Davos Seaworth. I work with the Special Education department.” After this introduction, the other teachers shared their names, too. Soon, Jon was familiar with everyone at the table even if he couldn’t place the name to the face. He started to settle, eating his lunch as the conversation around the table turned away from the interloper and towards the latest school gossip. 

“Sorry, I’m late, all! I had lunch duty,” said a very-not-Northern accent rushing in. She quickly pulled out the chair nearest Jon and sat, releasing a big breath like she had been running a marathon before finding herself here. 

“Dany, you really have to stop volunteering to take over for Stannis. He is never going to make up the days you’ve covered for him,” pried someone whose name Jon couldn’t remember for the life of him.

“Oh, please, Missy. Gods know those kids are in better hands with me than with Stannis Baratheon,” spilled out of smirked pink lips. She opened up her Tupperware and dove right into her food before raising her head, eyebrows furrowed. 

“Something’s different today,” the silvery-blonde woman ascertained before slowly looking around at each of her coworkers at the table. “Can’t place it.”

Arya leaned into Jon, “It’ll take her a minute to notice.” 

Conversation resumed like normal, but Jon couldn’t help but sneak looks at this new woman. Her long, silver hair trestled down her shoulders in waves; her full lips painted a rose pink delicately pursed as she thought about the unfamiliarity; her furrowed eyebrows accompanied her expressive eyes in the questioning. Then, just like Arya said, a few minutes later Jon felt the blonde woman turn dramatically towards him. 

“You’re new!” she finally exclaimed to the good-natured, sarcastic applause from the other teachers. Arya rolled her eyes and smiled. Jon’s heart froze for a moment as he looked in violet eyes for the first time.  _Fuck me_ , Jon thought to himself.

“Yes, hi. I’m Jon Snow, subbing for Jeyne Poole,” Jon explained after taking a moment to recover. Offering her hand to shake, Jon gingerly placed his calloused hand in hers. The woman shook it rigorously, the excitement not limited to her tone of voice. 

“Welcome to the team, Jon Snow! My name is Dany Targaryen,” the woman said with a wide smile. He noticed, out of the corner of his eye, the other teachers starting to pack up, and a moment later, the bell rung to signify the deplorably short lunch period was over. 

“Fuck!” Dany yelped. “Hey, come by my room after school so we can catch you up to speed!” She then stuffed a huge bite of food into her mouth. 

Jon quirked his head in question. Through Dany’s mouthful-of-food response, he discovered that she is the English department chair. 

“Oh! I will do that. Um, which room is that?”

“Forget it, I’ll come to you,” the blonde explained as she pushes open the door, waving as she left the room. Jon measurely breathed out, running a hand through his hair, before packing up his stuff and making his way back to his classroom. 

  


The rest of the day flew by without issue. It wasn’t a curriculum-heavy day as each of the students got used to the new presence in the classroom, so Jon was got by without having to explain what a gerund is. 

After the final bell, the kids shuffled out of the classroom, some with smiles and others with their hoods up and headphones in.  _Teenagers_ ,  Jon thought. He couldn’t help but feel proud of himself. Everyone in his life told him how hard the first day was going to be, but there he was at the end of day one without a scratch. 

“Knock, knock, Mr. Snow,” Dany joked as she appeared in the doorway. Her silvery-blonde hair that was down during lunch was now pulled into a messy bun on the top of her head coupled with a pair of vintage-esque glasses. The image of taking the bun down and running his hands through the freed waves invaded Jon’s mind. He quickly shook the thought out of his head, cursing his man brain. 

“Mrs. Targaryen,” Jon said as he focused on looking at her eyes and only her eyes. “Thanks for coming to me. I probably would’ve gotten lost,” he continued as he picked up left-behind papers lazily. 

“Don’t even worry about it, Mr. Snow. It took me a full semester to get a handle on the layout of school. Don’t even ask me where the carpentry building is because I couldn’t tell you,” Dany shared, her violet eyes glimmering. Jon forced himself to look away as Dany stepped into the classroom and started to help Jon pick up loose pieces of paper. 

“So, how did your first day go?” she asked, bending down to gather a paper on the floor. Jon groaned to himself, covering his eyes subtly and turning so he didn’t have the chance to look directly at her body.  _You have curves that the goddesses would envy under the bodycon dress you’re wearing._

“It went well,” the man explained, clearing his throat. “I’m looking forward to getting to know the students more.”

“Oh, yeah. Poole trained them well. You’re lucky in that regard, Mr. Snow,” the department chair revealed. 

“Please, call me Jon,” he asked.  _Please, say my name_ runs across his mind. 

“Well, Jon,” the woman handed him the stack of papers she collected, “it is a  _pleasure_ to have you join our team.” The man placed the papers down on his desk. 

“I’m thrilled to join it, Mrs. Targaryen.”

“You can call me Dany like everyone else,” she allowed. “And presumptuous of you to think I was married.”

“I didn’t mean offense, D-Dany,” Jon stuttered, getting used to the feeling of her name in his mouth. It seared his tongue like a prayer or a curse.

“Don’t worry about it. And I must apologize. I didn’t actually bring anything to catch you up to speed, so how about I bring you coffee tomorrow morning and we can debrief before first period?” Dany’s eyebrows rose in inquiry. 

_Gods, I’d love to see you first thing in the morning._

“Sounds great! I’m exhausted anyway,” he grinned. 

“Better get used to it, buddy. Exhaustion is a part of the job,” she winked before starting towards the door. “Get some rest, Jon. Another day of learning tomorrow.” With a smile, she was gone--her and her tempting violet eyes. 

Jon Snow packed up the rest of his stuff, images of soft skin, rose pink lips, and silver hair flashing by just behind his eyes. 

  


Jon spent his night nursing a cider while scouring the internet for any information on Dany Targayren.  _Leave it up to the department chair to have no digital footprint_ _._ After looking through Facebook, Instagram, and even the longshot of Reddit, he still hadn’t found anything. As a last resort, he navigated to Winterfell High’s website. 

Under ‘staff’ was a picture of the woman Jon had to remind himself was not only real, but also his direct supervisor. Just before giving up his search, he saw it -- “Feel free to email me at  daenerys.targayen@winterfellhs.org with any questions you may have!”.  _Daenerys. That’s gotta be a difficult name to hide._ Sure enough, a quick Google search of ‘Daenerys Targaryen’ revealed a few social media accounts, and more surprisingly, a blog.

Jon’s curious side won out in his morality battle resulting in a clear invasion of privacy. He was greeted by ‘The Dragon Queen: Breaker of Chains’ on the red and black header. With no sign of the owner, there was no way of proving that this blog belonged to the mysterious woman from work, so Jon allowed himself to poke around;  _I can’t know it’s hers for sure. It could be some random person anywhere in the world_ _._ The menu reveals secrets like poems, short stories, photography series, and nonsense blog posts. There was no pushing away the want--the need--to look at everything despite how creepy it made him feel.  _This could be Dany’s personal blog, probably one I was never meant to find; yet, here I am_ _._

The blog found its origins over five years ago with one sentence. 

  


  
“Dragons are found chained and beaten, but I will be the liberator.”

  


Jon reread the line over and over, a new emotion taking over each time. First confusion, then curiosity, worry, confusion again, finally settling on admiration. Dragons only existed in legend, but there was truth to her statement. Even the strong must be freed--from insecurities, locations, themselves.  _Was she a ‘dragon’ once? Is that why she declared herself the Queen, to free people who are like her?_ Hazily, he clicked the next post. 

  


  
“His calloused fingers tightened around my wrists where blood rushed just beneath the skin. 

He swallowed my wishes, granting each one, so I swallowed him in return. 

Moon of my life. Shekh ma sheriaki anni.”

  


Jon’s heart pounded. What once was admiration had turned into adoration, and blood rushed. Flashes of full lips teasing him drew his zipper down, and he shivered at the breeze. Soon, shivering was replaced by groans as Jon’s hand took over, stroking slowly over himself.  This is wrong in every way. She’s my supervisor , he thought to himself to no avail. His eyes glanced back over the poem and freed himself from the constraints of his trousers.  _What did she wish for? Does she still wish for it? ‘So, I swallowed him in return.’_ Every time he closed his eyes, he saw her with her silver hair mimicking the movements of his hand. 

A scene played out in his head, one filled with gasps, blushed cheeks and breathless sighs.  _‘Jon! Please!’_ echoed around and around his head until he was hit with a wave of pleasure. He felt his release covering his hand before the creeping shame crawled up his neck. 

“Fuck me,” Jon whispered to himself, grabbing a napkin from the table. He cleaned himself up, barely able to look at himself in the mirror, and made his way to bed. Being sleep deprived on his second day wouldn’t be a great impression to make. 


	2. I wish I was

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After his morning meeting-turned-breakfast with Dany, Jon finds out it’s her birthday, and he gets invited to a drunken school night out with his new coworkers. It was his second day of work, and he’s already going out for drinks with his supervisor he shouldn’t have a crush on… oh, and the rest of the department.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I am writing this because I am not looking forward to teaching online in just a few days. No, I don’t have a beta reader, so all mistakes are mine because I do not proofread. Also, the formatting is truly abhorrent. I tried to fix what I could, but HTML is unforgiving.
> 
> Joking mentions of alcoholism regarding the trope that all teachers are lowkey alcoholics! Be warned if that is a trigger for you. 
> 
> Thanks for your support so far! Song is I Wish I Was by The Avett Brothers

Jon woke up seven minutes before his alarm went off (which he had already set for an earlier time). Ghost laid himself across Jon’s chest, cutting off most of his owner’s airflow due to his wolf-like build. Needless to say, it wasn’t the calmest way to wake up especially for a man who was already nervous about his morning meeting with a supervisor whose lips he definitely did not dream about the night before. 

Jon shrugged his dog off of him, taking a deep breath before planting his feet on the ground as he sat up, rubbing his hands across his face in residual shame from his actions the night before. Ghost pushed himself up next to Jon, quirking his face up. 

“I love you, but you gotta let me breathe sometimes,” Jon joked to his dog, rubbing right behind the beast’s ear. “Alright, let’s go outside.” He pushed himself off his bed, the dog eagerly following, and opened the door to the backyard. The sun barely shone over the horizon, the mid-spring temperature just cool enough to make Jon wrap his arms around himself.  _Her skin would be so warm against yours_ _._ A flush crept up his neck and he physically shook his head in an attempt to knock any and every non-professional feeling out of his brain. When Ghost walked back through the door into the house, Jon took it as his cue to start the day. 

It’s not that Jon was intentionally trying to look good today. He just wanted to sculpt his curly hair just right (the way Ygritte used to love it) and make his father proud by wearing well-tailored slacks and a tie (the same slacks that Ros said made his ass look good). Like a cliche in a movie, he glanced at his phone and saw he was on the verge of running late. 

“Shit,” he whispered to himself as he grabbed his school ID and bag. Petting Ghost on the way out, he finally made his way to school. Usually, he had time to eat breakfast, but because he spent so much time specifically not trying to look good, he would have to wait until lunch. 

“Well, fuck,” Jon said louder as he realized he’d also forgotten to grab his lunch from the fridge. He had to venture into the school cafeteria if he wanted to eat anything at all. At the final few red lights before he made it to the parking lot, he kicked himself for acting like such an idiot. This was not the way his second day was supposed to go. 

_____

  


“Knock, knock!” Dany said as she appeared in the doorway, almost exactly the same as the day before. Jon realized it must be one of her ‘things’ and couldn’t help the smile that came to his face. Finally looking up from his desk, nothing could prepare him for the beauty that stood just across the room from him.

Dany had pulled back her light hair into a tight, high ponytail, one that Jon couldn’t help but imagine pulling. Her lips were no longer a rosy pink, but a dark red that outlined her cupid’s bow as if it was sculpted by the gods themselves. Her clothes were modest and appropriate for a teacher at work, but the mirage of the surging fabric when she bent down to pick up papers the previous day flashed just behind Jon’s eyes. 

“Uh, good morning,” the man recovered, clearing his throat. “You got that coffee for me? Gods knows I need it.” The image of Dany burned his eyes like a light from the heavens, so he looked back down at his desk, ruffling papers around to look busy.  _How was it that this woman was both angelic, a blessing from the gods, but so devilishly tempting at the same time, daring me to risk it?_

“You got it, Jon,” Dany smiled, revealing two coffee mugs in her hands. “Unfortunately, it’s not from a coffee shop, but I promise I buy okay-quality Keurig cups.”

“Honestly, any caffeine will revive me,” he said. Jon brought the mug to his lips and drank, immediately feeling the warmth hit his empty stomach which growled in reply. “Oh, sorry, I didn’t get a chance to eat this morning,” he said sheepishly. Jon placed his hand over his stomach, willing it to shut up. 

Violet eyes widened with concern. “Jon, breakfast is the most important meal of the day! Here, come on,” she said, wrapping her hand around his arm which he reflexively flexed. “The school cafeteria actually makes some badass breakfast tacos, and I haven’t been down there in a while.”

Jon stood, Dany’s hand releasing his arm. She grabbed her mug and waved at him to follow her. Not willing to forsake the caffeine he so desperately needed, Jon brought his mug, too. This time, the design caught his eye: a dragon with three heads.  _The Dragon Queen_ _. _ _Moon of my life. Shekh ma sheriaki anni._ He pushed down the memory. 

“Interesting mug design,” Jon commented, hoping she might take the bait. Dany’s eyebrow quirked up and her cheeks turned the slightest shade of pink in reply. 

“Oh, yeah, it’s kind of like an inside joke with myself,” Dany said. She cleared her throat before continuing. “Anyways, I left the information on your desk, but I can talk you through it as we eat. If I’m being totally honest, I just wanted to get home yesterday. Missy made my favorite for dinner.”

Jon nodded his head, masking the connection he knew between Danaerys Targaryan and her dragon symbol.  _She clearly wanted to change the subject, so maybe it’s a sensitive subject?_

“And Missy is your… partner?” Jon asked, indulging her topic-change while hoping to get some more information--not because he liked her as more than just a coworker, of course. Just for context.

“Nope, just my roommate and best friend.” Jon felt his face go red. “Trust me, Mr. Snow, you’re not the first person to ask. We look very coupley in public sometimes.”

“I told you to call me Jon,” he corrected. While Jon didn’t want to admit it, he didn’t like when she called him Mr. Snow. It was too formal, impersonal, when he wanted to know her the most personal sense.  _Professionally personal_ , he reminded himself. 

“Also, I was looking through the school website to try and match faces to names, and I saw yours. ‘Danaerys’ is not a name you come across often.”

“Yeah, no. It’s sort of like a family thing? All of us are given traditional Targaryen names from when my family ruled what used to be the Seven Kingdoms. Hence, ‘Dany,’” she laughed. “I’m actually named after the only Targaryen survivor of the Baratheon Rebellion.”

Jon didn’t even have time to process that, of course, Dany came from the long lineage of historical royalty because they arrived at the cafeteria. She couldn’t contain her obvious joy as she smiled and waved at the lunch-people with her whole body. All the lunch-people waved back with smiles of their own. 

“Jon Snow, I would love to introduce you to our wonderful food service staff,” she said as she presented him in a similar way Arya had the day before. He waved at them with a small smile. 

“It’s very nice to meet you all. I hear you make some pretty good breakfast tacos.”

“Best in the district,” a woman with dirty blonde replied. 

“You’re not wrong there! Gilly, can we just get four ‘egg, potato, and bacon’?” Dany asked. The lunch-people started piling all the ingredients high on small tortillas. Jon noticed Dany walking towards the register, her voice lowering as they shared stories and news and arms reaching across counters for hugs. Then, a few dollars were exchanged for foil-wrapped tacos, and Dany walked to a table away from the students who were eating their own breakfast. 

Like the department chair promised, she went over all the stuff Jon needed to know about the department and their goals for the rest of the year. He listened as he attempted to politely scarf down his breakfast tacos. Soon enough, more kids flooded through the doors, and they knew it was time to get back up to their individual classrooms. 

“Gilly wasn’t wrong. This was delicious. How much do I owe you?” Jon asked, pulling his wallet out of his pocket.

“Oh, don’t worry about it. Consider it a ‘Welcome to Winterfell High’ gift,” Dany insisted as she stood up from her seat, throwing her trash away in a nearby basket. “I’m sorry to rush off, but I actually lost track of time. I have to make some copies before first period.”

“I’ll pay you back somehow!” Jon said as his supervisor grabbed her coffee mug, smiled goodbye, and walked towards the doors. 

It might not be the worst day Jon had imagined after all. 

___________

Jon rode a high for the rest of the morning. The students listened during his lesson, he prevented the escalation of a disagreement between two students, and he had his first planning meeting with the other English III teachers. He got to know the rest of the year’s unit plans in more depth, and he bonded more with Davos Seaworth who worked with the English III teachers. 

“So, what’s the best place for delivery around here? I forgot my lunch this morning,” Jon asked Davos as they walked back towards their classrooms after the meeting. 

“My personal go-to is Riverrun Subs, but Torrhen’s makes a mean burger,” the older man revealed. “Also, I don’t know if anyone has told you yet, but we’re all going out to celebrate today at The Wall just down the street. Consider this your invitation.”

“Celebrating what?” Jon thought back fondly on his many, many nights spent at his friends’ bar. Named after the now-decrepit barrier that once separated the southern North from the northern North, his college friends, Edd and Grenn, opened up a few years prior to mad success. Jon had spent many nights there, living a life he no longer had the time for.

“Dany’s birthday! I thought she would’ve told you this morning,” Davos thought out loud to himself.  _Why did she tell me? Maybe she doesn’t want me to go._

“Well, if you want to go, I’m sure it would be a great way to get to know the team,” the older man finished, nodding his head towards Jon before diverting to his own classroom. 

Forcing himself to set all of that new information aside, he pulled out his phone and opened Riverrun Subs’ website. Jon scrolled through the menu, ordering a sandwich for delivery, right as the bell rang for his next class. 

The period before lunch dragged on. The kids were tired and only thinking about who they were going to look for during lunch, where they would hide away to catch a kiss or two, or just generally about what they were going to eat. Jon confiscated two cell phones for the remainder of the period which disgruntled the students even further, and by the time the bell rang, the energy in the room was off in every sense. He kicked himself for letting the phone situation get to him, but was distracted by a call coming in on the classroom phone. 

“Um, hello? Mr. Snow’s room,” Jon said, his sentences pitched higher at the end. 

“Hey, Mr. Snow. We have a delivery person here from Riverrun Subs for you,” a polite, female voice revealed. 

“Oh, yeah, thanks. I’ll be right down.”

Jon quickly grabbed his water bottle, phone, and wallet and made his way down to the front office, closing his classroom door behind him. He quickly paid the delivery person once he got to the office, grabbed the logoed bag, and made his way up to the room he ate lunch in the day before. 

When he arrived, he saw pointy birthday hats on everyone’s heads, a cake in the middle with a fake tea-light candle in the center, and cards scattered around the middle of the table.  I should’ve gotten her a card , Jon thought to himself. 

“Jon! I see you took my suggestion,” Davos motioned towards him. Jon raised the bag in reply before taking the same seat next to Arya. Daenerys had been placed at the head of the table in honor of her birthday and was adorned with a plastic crown engraved with the words “Birthday Queen”. 

“If you had taken any longer, I would’ve stabbed you with that cake cutter,” Arya whispered to him as he sat down. When Jon’s brows furrowed in confusion, she continued. “Dany doesn’t let us start the celebration--aka eat the cake--until everyone is present.”

_Dany waited for me?_ Jon’s heart skipped a beat and he felt the slightest of blushes creep up to his cheeks.  _You’re being ridiculous. Just eat your damn lunch._

Jon took out his sandwich and started eating when another teacher he recognized from the website, Yara Greyjoy, English I teacher, stood and used a plastic knife to tap on the side of her metal water bottle. 

“Now that everyone is here,” the slightly-scary woman eyed Jon who adjusted meekly in his chair, “let us begin the birthday celebration.” Arya elbowed Jon in the side, handing him a pointy birthday hat of his own which he donned unashamedly.

“Today, many, many years ago, we were blessed with the best department chair in existence,” Yara continued. “More importantly, we all were given yet another excuse to foster our edging-on-alcoholistic tendencies. You know the drill, all. The Wall, 6pm tonight. Just enough time to go home, feed your pets or children, and then back together again for a night honoring our beloved Dany.” 

At that, everyone raises their water bottles, forks, or Tupperware in cheers. Yara seated herself as Dany lifted herself from her own chair. 

“As always, this is on the down-low. Only those in this room know, and I swear to the gods, if any of you make it obvious that we are severely hungover tomorrow, I will personally volunteer you whenever Principal Lannister needs extra help. That even includes mister sub over here,” she motioned to Jon who all but choked on his food in reply. He saw jest in her eyes and felt a smile stretching the sides of his mouth. “Cheers, all,” she finishes. 

With that, Dany leaned over the table, reaching for the cake. For a brief moment, Jon thought he saw directly down her shirt, and he had to pinch himself to stop staring. The silver-haired woman cut small slices, placing them on plates and handing them down the line. 

His new coworkers made quick work of the cake, many going for seconds.The cards were opened and passed around the table, and conversations resumed like normal. Jon was tempted to get seconds himself; it was unlike any cake he had ever eaten before--key lime cake with a lime frosting and a toasted coconut edge. 

“Holy shit. This cake is--honestly, I’m at a loss for words,” Jon heard Dany say, voicing exactly what he had been thinking. 

“And, completely vegan,” a man at the other end of the table revealed proudly. Jon recognized him as the culinary arts teacher, but couldn’t remember his name. “It’s no secret that you love the sea and tropical beaches, Dany. And, of course, we have Yara to thank for the honorary birthday candle. We can’t have a cake without a little element of fire.”

“Always so thoughtful, Hot Pie,” the department chair smiled with friendly affection in her eyes. 

“Shit, guys. Bell’s about to ring,” Yara said, immediately followed by the bell. “I expect to see every single one of you fuckers at The Wall.” To make her point even more known, she pointed to every single one of them before packing up her food, taking off her birthday hat, and leaving the room along with most of the other teachers. 

Jon stayed behind a few seconds longer, stacking up plates and removed hats. 

“What I’m wondering is why you didn’t tell me it was your birthday this morning?” Jon spoke up. He looked up at Dany who was covering the leftover cake. 

“It wasn’t important!”

“It’s your birthday!”

“Alright, Jon. I will tell you about every major thing from here on out. Deal?” she joked, sticking her hand out to shake. Jon smiled, taking her hand in his for a second time, the electricity tickling his fingertips.  _Does she feel the spark like I do?_

If she did, she didn’t reveal it because she went right back to cleaning up. 

“And, I want to say that if you don’t feel comfortable going and getting drunk on a work night, then you don’t have to come. Or, you can come and just not drink much,” the woman cautioned, her voice slightly quieter, but like she had to muster something up just to say the words. 

Jon thought about it for a moment before Dany cut off his thoughts. 

“But, I think it would be nice if you could make it,” he heard the woman finish. He looked up at her, a smile politely on her lips and her violet eyes exuding only kindness. 

“I think I can make that work,” Jon replied. 

“Then, Jon, I say this to you as your department chair…”

He quirked his eyebrows up in question. 

“You’re going to be late to next period,” she announced. 

Jon glanced at his watch briefly, eyes widening. 

“Oh, shit! Thank you!” he said, grabbing his stuff and making for the door. As he left the doorway, he heard a small yell saying ‘your hat!’. He pulled the birthday hat off of his head and rushed to his classroom, feeling validated and excited. 

_______________

  


By the time Jon got home after work, he only had an hour to feed Ghost, get dressed, change his clothes, change his clothes again, and take a half-shot of liquid courage before leaving his house. He had texted Edd during a passing period asking if there was anything special he could set up for Dany and his coworkers. 

**Jon:** _Hey, man. It’s my department chair’s birthday and we’re all going to your place for drinks after work. I’m really trying to make a good impression here..._

**Edd:** _I can block off the loft for you guys and put a bartender at the upstairs bar if you want_

**Jon:** _you’re one of the seven incarnate_

**Edd** :  _You’re just lucky I can swing it tonight_

The Wall was only down the street from his house--one of the reasons he frequented it so often in past years--so he decided to walk. He wasn’t planning on getting  drunk drunk, but he gave himself permission to get a buzz going. Jon intentionally arrived at the bar early in search of Edd and Grenn. There were a few people grazing the pool tables, but it wasn’t crowded by any means. Jon spotted his college friends near the bar.

“You guys are really lifesavers tonight,” he praised them as he hugged them both. “I remember this place used to be hustling and bustling at open.”

“Just you wait, Jon,” Edd cautioned. “Tuesday is karaoke night. Give it half an hour, and this place will be packed.” Jon realized in that moment just how kind it was for them to block off the loft for him and his coworkers. 

“And as payment for your last minute request, I have already signed you up to sing,” Grenn smiled a shit-eating grin.

“There’s no way in hell I am-”

“Jon!” he heard from behind him. He turned to find Arya in all black--black jeans, a black short-sleeve button down with the sleeves cuffed, black Timberlands, and her dark hair pulled up in a messy bun atop her head. Behind her followed most of her coworkers except the birthday girl herself. “Here early, I see. Couldn’t wait to get your drink on?” she winked at him. 

“Actually, just checking in with some old friends. Edd, Grenn, this is my coworker, Arya Stark. Arya, these are my buddies Edd and Grenn. They own the place,” he introduced them. 

“Holy hell, Snow. You could’ve mentioned that you know the owners during lunch,” she smacked him in his side. Jon was slowly starting to realize that violence was how Arya signified friendship. She stuck her hand out to shake both men’s hands before motioning the bartender. 

“Very nice to meet you guys! Just know that any damages are being charged to his card,” Arya smiled while pointing at Jon. He smiled at her, and a wave of gratitude washed over him that she had stopped him on his first day. She then walked closer to the bar and leaned in to order her drink. 

Jon watched as the others from the lunch groups slowly meandered over towards him. They felt comfortable around each other, but clearly felt the need to get a drink or two in them to fully warm up to the space. 

“Hey, guys. I’m friends with the owners, and they’ve reserved the loft for us tonight,” Jon announced to the group. There was excited chatter as Edd waved at them to follow him towards the stairs. Davos walked up to Jon, clapping him on the shoulder. 

“I knew I liked you,” he shared before following the rest of the group up. 

The door to the bar opened again to let in Dany and another woman who he assumed was her roommate. He smiled at them as they walked closer. 

“I’m never early!” Dany said. 

“And you’re still not,” Jon said with a chuckle. “Everyone’s already upstairs. I pulled some strings and got it reserved for us.”

The shock reverberated across Dany’s face.

“How?”

“Oh, didn’t I tell you? I went to college with the owners. Oh yeah. I forgot that when we were not talking about important information over breakfast tacos this morning!” Jon said, feigning remembrance. Dany’s eyes gleamed in amusement before jokingly scoffing and turning again to her partner. 

“Before whatever the hell this is continues,” the partner started, making both Jon and Dany avoid eye contact, “my name is Missy. I’m Dany’s roommate.” Like all the other people he’d met in the last two days, she stuck out her hand to shake. He took it and gave it a firm shake.

“And if I’m going to have to watch and listen to that all night, I am going to need a drink ASAP.” She excused herself, walking to the bar, greeting Arya by placing an arm around her waist. 

Jon cleared his throat. “Anyway, we’re upstairs, and they’ve placed a bartender up there so we actually don’t need to come down here for drinks.”

“You may become indispensable yet, Jon Snow,” Dany smiled, something twinkling in her eye that Jon couldn’t quite interpret. She walked towards the stairs, looking back at him once with eyes still gleaming. She then ascended to cheers and hip-hip-hoorays from the rest of the party. 

Time passed quickly, and like Edd had said, the place was packed before too long. The first singers performed, and Yara had reenacted a coronation of the ‘Birthday Queen’. The drinks flowed easily, and Jon smiled as his coworkers’ tongues loosened and vocal chords warmed. 

“I think you’ve made quite the impression already,” Davos admitted as he slid up next to Jon. 

“Anyone would’ve done it,” he covered. 

“I think Dany really appreciates it. I don’t know if I should be telling you this, but her brother died a few years ago. He was the only family she had left, and ever since, she’s made it her mission to bring the lunch group closer, sort of like a pseudo-family. Usually these things are fun enough, but the energy is different tonight. It feels… free,” Davos finished. Jon understood what the older man neant; whether it was his tipsiness or genuine happiness, he felt free, too. They stood together, sipping their drinks, watching the happy chaos around them.

Missy and Arya were not-so-subtly sitting quite close, hands on knees, and eyes flickering down to lips; Yara and Dany laughed together about nothing in particular, and Hot Pie had convinced the bartender to show him how to make some cocktails as long as he promised to drink--and pay for--all of them, which he did. 

“Now, I know it’s technically karaoke night, but we have a very special guest tonight,” Jon heard a familiar voice say in a microphone. “Please welcome our very own local heartthrob, Jon Snow!”

He covered his eyes with his hand, pretending that he didn’t hear the call while encouragement from his coworkers exploded in his ears. It wasn’t until Dany herself placed her hand on his back that he lifted his head. His heart and other places jolted at the touch as he reluctantly gave into her push. 

“Promise me you’ll cover your ears!” Jon half-shouted to the woman over the noise. 

“I make no such promises, Jon!” Dany released him with another slight push towards the stage. His coworkers had followed them down from the loft, and he approached the microphone looking out at a crowd of drunk fans. Grenn stood there holding a guitar, and Jon mentally cursed him.

“I hate you for this, you know,” Jon whispered to his friend. 

“It’s either this or pay for the reservation,” Grenn winked. Jon pulled the guitar strap over his head, adjusting it as he cleared his throat. 

He plucked each string, tuning each one by ear slightly. He felt rusty, but it quickly came back to him.  _Just like riding a bike_ , he said to himself. 

“Um, this might sound somewhat strange because it looks like my banjo-player is sitting out tonight,” he said as he eyed Grenn who was smiling like an idiot. “Anyway, keep any jokes to yourself or I’ll have the owners kick you out,” he laughed nervously. He refused to look back up at the crowd until he was finished playing.

He nervously strummed out the first few notes, getting used to the press of guitar strings in his long-established callouses. Then, it all came back to him as the lyrics spilled out of his mouth. He was just sober enough to annunciate the lyrics and just drunk enough to believe he sounded alright. 

  


_I wish I was a flame dancing in a candle_

_ Lighting up your living room high on the mantle _

_ I could bring some romance without any scandal _

_ And then when you were done you’d just put me out _

  


He risked a glance up during the last few strums of the song, and felt his breath catch when he saw Dany’s eyes. No longer were they kind and professional; they were wide in wonder, touched with tears. Her eyebrows turned in, her mouth slightly slack--a face of surprise and attraction he hoped wasn’t fleeting.

Then, the song was over, and the entire bar erupted in applause. Every man, woman, and non-binary friend clapped their hands together with passion and excitement, a variety of drinks spilling all over each other and the floor.  _Ha, take that Grenn. You’ll have to clean it all up._

Jon glanced at Grenn who was smiling wider than before, genuine enjoyment on his face. His mouth moved as he said something, but Jon couldn’t decipher it until he turned back into the crowd--the crowd shouting ‘encore’ repeatedly. He shook his head no, sticking the guitar out for Grenn to take, but the friend stayed planted where he was standing, shouting alongside the crowd. Jon dropped his head in defeat, shouting ‘alright, alright’ to appease them. 

“The only encore I will play will be for this woman right here!” he said into the microphone, pointing at Dany. He leaned into the alcohol, allowing him to reach his hand out to her. She took it, pulling herself onto the shallow stage. “If you couldn’t tell from the crown on her head, it’s this woman's birthday, and we all must sing for her!”

All of their coworkers shouted in agreement as Jon started the crowd in the birthday song. Dany’s eyes remained locked on Jon’s, tears still glistening and an ever-widening smile taking over her face. He smiled back at her as he sang, his cheeks hurting from all the smiling he had been doing that night. 

The small crush Jon’s heart held for Daenerys Targaryen surged against his heart. There was no space in his drunk head to realize that it was no longer a small crush, but burgeoning infatuation. There were now two Jons: the Jon that existed before Daenerys Targaryen, and the Jon that existed to love Daenerys Targaryen.

The birthday song ended to more cheers, and Dany threw her arms around Jon who held her tight. The electricity that sparked between them sparked aflame as they pressed their bodies together fully. 

“Happy birthday, Dany,” he whispered to her. They released each other, but held each closer still. Jon was all-of-the-sudden breathless. 

“Thank you, Jon. I haven’t had this much fun in years,” Dany slurred, and Jon knew she was admitting a truth. He looked into her eyes, feeling her pull, and it took everything in him to not give in to every instinct.  _She’s got to be the one to initiate it, if she ever does_ _,_ he had a sound mind enough to think.

“Another round of applause for Jon Snow, guitarist extraordinaire!” Grenn shouted into the microphone. Dany then released herself from Jon, cheering with all the others. They all made their way back up to the loft, pushing tables and chairs together like they did at work. Arya sat next to Jon, Missy on her lap like a personal throne, and Dany took the seat on the other side of him, a parallel to lunch on his first day. 

They talked and laughed into the night, pitchers of beer finding places on the table courtesy of the other patrons. Many came with birthday wishes, others with an enthusiastic ‘rock on!’ from Grenn. Soon enough, karaoke slowed, Edd started wiping down tables, and yawns crept around the table. 

He closed his tab, not daring to look at the bill, when he saw, out of the corner of his eye, Missy and Dany conversing in a corner. They smiled, nodded, and giggled together before Missy hugged her roommate and made her way towards Arya who was standing at the top of the stairs. Arya caught Jon’s eye, tipping her head. Then, she folded her hand in Missy and they left together. 

His other coworkers cleared out, each with a farewell to Jon who helped the bartender bring up the plethora of glasses scattered around the loft. He felt it was the least he could do after not paying for the reservation which in return gave the bartender a lot more work to do. Once all the glasses were up at the bar he made his way down the stairs.

“You have not lost it, my friend,” Grenn said, clapping Jon on the back. 

“And you are still a gods-sent for reserving the loft for me,” he replied.

“You paid fair and square. If that teaching gig doesn’t turn out, we could make a mean dollar if we hired you on to sing,” Edd said. 

“Oh, fuck off,” Jon smiled, his heart swelling at the validation. He said his goodbyes, threw his jacket on and went out the door. What he did not expect was a shivering department chair leaning against the wall, looking at her phone. 

“Dany?” Jon said before approaching. She looked up, a smile quickly finding its way to her lips, and she pushed herself off of the wall towards him. 

“Hi Jon!” she slurred. “You did really, really awesome tonight. I had no idea you could sing!” she said a little loudly, trying to balance herself. Jon reached out and took her arms, pulling her closer to him so he could wrap his arm around her waist to support her.  And to be close to her , he thought to himself. And to stop her from shivering.

“What are you still doing here?” he asked, his own words slurring slightly.

“Oh, Missy went home with Arya, so I’m waiting for a Lyft, but there don’t seem to be any takers at this time on a Tuesday,” she laughed to herself. 

Jon had a nanosecond to come up with and process his next words carefully. If it came out wrong, he could’ve deter his boss from ever interacting with him non-professionally again. 

“No pressure, but I live right down the street. You could sleep off some of the drunkenness, and we can see if there are any takers once the sun comes up on a Wednesday,” Jon finished, his voice barely catching in his throat at the end. 

Dany turned her face up to his, eyeing him--possibly just trying to focus on his face--her eyebrows furrowed. 

“No funny business?” she asked, pointing a wobbly finger at him. 

“Cross my heart, Ms. Targaryen.”

“Fine,” she sighed. “Which way, Mr. Snow?” 

Jon turned them both in the direction of his house, and they started the short walk together.

“You know, it has been such a long time since I had that much fun on my birthday. When I was a kid, my parents would take me and my brothers to Dragonstone Park for my birthday,” Dany said, filling the silence with her sing-song voice. 

“What’s Dragonstone Park?” Jon asked.

“It’s an amusement park I went to as a kid! See, back a long, long time ago--I don’t know how long ago. I’m not a fuckin’ history teacher--but, back in the day, the island of Dragonstone housed House Targaryen, the rulers of the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros. Then, King Robert Baratheon staged a rebellion, won, killed all of my ancestors except for one woman, the woman I’m named after, and gave Castle Dragonstone to his brother,”

“I think I vaguely remember this rebellion from history classes, “ interjected Jon. 

“Yeah, but now the island is an amusement park with rollercoasters and fair food, and--oh! You can only get there by boat, and each boat has a dragon head as the mast,” Dany giggled to herself. 

“What a way to remember our history, am I right?” he joked. Dany laughed loudly like she couldn’t hold it back. 

“So true. I’ve always felt like dragons were a part of who I am. All my family’s lore, stories, and survival records say that my ancestors had dragons. Actual, real-life dragons,” Dany shared looking up at the sky like a dragon of her own would fly by. “But, yeah, that kinda explains that dragon mug from this morning. Some of my best memories with my family are from those trips and dragons became a metaphor for me. Only in moments of genuine happiness and freedom can we be broken of the chains that hold us back from our true selves, kinda like how dragons were only true dragons with wide wingspans and breath of fire when they weren’t chained down” Dany finished. 

_‘The Dragon Queen’. So that’s what her blog is about--finding freedom and happiness,_ Jon thought to himself as they arrived at his house. 

“Well, this is it. I should’ve asked before, but you aren’t afraid of dogs are you?” he warned, helping her up the small steps one at a time. 

“Are you kidding? I love dogs!” she exclaimed, releasing Jon as he unlocked the door. He knelt quickly to greet Ghost and keep him inside, motioning to Dany to quickly sneak her way past. 

Once they were both inside, Jon felt the silence like his speakers were on max volume. He cleared his throat and gestured generally to the different rooms in the house just in case she needed anything. 

“First things first, I need the bathroom,” Dany said. Jon guided her there, and she thanked him in reply and closed the door. 

He went to his room, quickly changing out of his bar clothes and into pajamas, feeling relief wash over his body as it felt its cue for sleep. Jon had a crawling feeling that Dany would need something to sleep in, so he opened his dresser drawer, grabbed a shirt he knew would be oversized on her, and made his way back to the bathroom. 

“Hey, Dany,” he knocked gingerly on the door. “I don’t know if you want it, but I have an oversized shirt you could sleep in.” He heard the doorknob turn, then a hand and only a hand stick out from the crack in the door. Jon handed her the shirt, forcing any thought of her body from his mind, and made his way to let Ghost out in the backyard.

In the kitchen, he grabbed two glasses from the cupboard and filled them with water, downing his quickly. He knew he would be hungover the next day, so anything he could do to lessen that pain was heartily accepted. Behind him, Jon heard Ghost’s paws on the ground, so he turned to close the door. 

Like that morning, his breath was knocked away when he saw Dany who was kneeling down to pet Ghost. His shirt was perfectly oversized on her--a fact he tried desperately to not read as a sign. Her silver hair had finally been released from its high-ponytail prison, and her face had been wiped clean, a sheen of moisturizer reflecting the light. 

“I hope it’s okay that I used your skincare stuff. Seriously, no doubt your skin is perfect because of it.”

Jon shook himself out of his daze again before replying, “Oh, yeah, no. That’s fine. Here. You should drink this.” He pushed the glass of water towards her and he carefully walked around her at a distance to close the still-open door. Jon heard her gulping down the water eagerly, a small, involuntary moan escaping her lips as she finished the glass.  _Oh, gods. This is not the time to be thinking about that, Jon._

“So, I’ll take the couch, and you can have the bed,” Jon asserted. 

“Oh, don’t be silly. I’ll obviously take the couch,” the perfectly polite woman challenged. 

“Well, it’s still your birthday, so consider it a gift,” he smiled sarcastically. 

“Fine. But I’m setting my alarm for five in the morning which is in, gods, three hours,” Dany said, her head falling to her hand. 

“Sounds like hell. I’m looking forward to it,” he said, sarcasm not leaving his inflection.

“Alright, well. See you in three hours,” Dany said, turning back towards the bedroom. “And, Jon? Really, truly thank you for tonight.” Then, she walked into his room, closing the door behind her, a smile soft on her lips. 

Jon released a breath he didn’t know he was holding, his head resting in his hands as he gathered his thoughts. Stirring into slow action, he drank down one more glass of water and walked to the linen closet, grabbing an extra blanket. He situated himself on the couch, Ghost laying on the ground below him, and reflected on the night. 

Jon couldn’t shake one moment--the moment during the birthday song where he looked into Dany’s eyes and she looked right back into his. He realized what it meant and how he felt and how he was truly and utterly fucked.  _What am I going to do?_

His body rested easily, but his mind wandered restlessly, dreaming again of the woman who was just in the other room,  _what am I going to do?_ ricocheting in his brain.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is turning into a fic with very disproportionately worded chapters.  
> Thank you for reading!! I'm sorry it took so long to update! I can't really only write when I feel motivated, and I staying up for so long just to get these words down on paper, worried I wouldn't be inspired again for another few days.


	3. angel's song

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dany wakes up in an unfamiliar house, in unfamiliar clothes, and honestly, is still a little bit tipsy. She has to deal with the repercussions of her choices the night before, but Arya makes that a little difficult.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is WEEKS late. Work officially started and teaching online is the most exhausting thing I may have ever done. I don’t know when I will next be able to complete a chapter, but I have mapped out about 8 chapters total.
> 
> Also, I really wanted to make sure I got a chapter with Dany’s POV! Our Aries Dragon Queen has some thoughts and feelings about Jon Snow. Mention of previous Daario/Dany, Drogo/Dany, and predatory Jorah. This chapters gets pretty smutty, so consider yourself warned

It wasn’t the five o’clock alarm that woke Dany, but the loud swearing from a male voice. Blinking her eyes open, she was immediately hit with residual dizziness from the night before. The sunlight streaming through the floor to ceiling windows wasn’t much help either. She pulled the bedsheet up over her head, overwhelming her with the smell of tobacco and vanilla.  _Where am I?_ approached the forefront of her mind. 

“Dany! Fuck!” she heard at the same moment she remembered what had woken her up. Against all of her instincts, she instantly sat up. _That voice sounds so familiar,_ the woman reminisced, the strum of a guitar faintly playing in her head. 

“Dany, wake up!” the voice said again, louder, and then the door swung open and her eyes connected with gray. _Jon Snow_ _._

His hair was disheveled, curlier than she’d seen in the two--well, now three--days she’d known him. He pulled a t-shirt over his head, giving Dany a glimpse at every curve and crevice including a not-so-hidden set of abs she was sure not to forget. He had panic in his eyes, she knew that much, but  _Holy shit, am I in Jon Snow’s house?_

“The alarm didn’t go off!” At that, Dany sprung into action, trying, unsuccessfully, with every muscle she had to push back the remaining alcohol inhibiting her. When Jon turned to go back down the hallway to the bathroom, she rushed past him, barely making it in time. Hunched over the toilet, she felt all of the previous night’s decisions surge in her rebelling stomach. A moment later, she felt Jon’s hand brush the back of her neck as he gently gathered her hair back sending a shiver up her spine. His other hand was found rubbing circles between her shoulder blades. 

“Shh, shh, let it all out,” she heard his still-scratchy morning voice mumble.  _Mmm, morning voice_ _._ When Dany got to a point where she felt relatively okay, she sat back on her heels and rested her head on her forearm. “Maybe we should just call out sick,” Jon propositioned. 

_We?_ Dany thought to herself. Pushing that quickly out of her mind before it got too far, she lifted her head, shaking in protest.

“Nope, never missed a day, and that’s not going to start now. I need water, alka seltzer, Pedialyte if you have it, and a clean toothbrush,” Dany listed off. Jon nodded and left her side to gather her requested goods. Given the solitude, she stood herself up on shaky legs and risked a glance at her reflection. 

_Okay, not as bad as it could’ve been had I not just thrown up in front of a hot stranger_ _,_ she decided. Dany started washing her hands when Jon appeared back in the doorway.

“I don’t know how long this has been in my fridge,” Jon warned, holding up some Pedialyte. “But, here’s some water, and I don’t have alka seltzer, but I do have Aleve.” 

“And the toothbrush?” Dany asked, reaching for everything her coworker had brought back. 

“Bottom right drawer,” Jon motioned, stepping up and grabbing his own toothbrush from the cabinet. Then, there they were, simultaneously brushing their teeth like they were characters in a 2000’s teenage romance film. Dany very deliberately refused to make eye contact. 

A few minutes later, they were both minty-fresh, and Dany raced out of the restroom to find her phone. After throwing the covers off the bed, she heard the dull thud hit the ground. The blonde sank to her knees and bent over to search, emerging with her dead phone in hand.  _No wonder the alarm didn’t go off_ _._

(This is how Jon found her as he walked into the bedroom--on her knees, ass in the air, and still not wearing pants, a fact he was pretty sure she didn’t realize. Under the raised hem of his T-shirt she was wearing, he could just see the outline of a tattoo. Then, she whirled around, badly-concealed panic in her eyes, and Jon forced his eyes away.)

“Jon, my phone died! I need a ride home,” she demanded, planting her feet woozily on the ground. “And something to eat.”

Not really remembering much from the night before, Dany’s eyes scoured the ground in search of her own clothes. She didn’t even know what time it was, but Jon’s panicked wake-up call made her panic. Finally finding her own pair of pants, she stumbled to put them on, buttoning them as Jon stood across from her, clearly trying very hard to not stare.

“I don’t even know what time it is, but due to your tone this morning, you don’t have the time to just stand there awkwardly, Jon! Either go do something productive or get dressed for work,” Dany pointed out. Jon raised his wrist and checked the time on his watch.. 

“I don’t think there’s going to be time to drop you off at your place, Dany.”  Fuck , Dany thought.

“Alright, time to get creative,” she said to no one in particular, squeezing past Jon to open his closet. Dany ran her hand across the fabrics, but she knew none of them would look inconspicuous. Instead, she reached for a blue printed blazer. Tucking his oversized T-shirt into her black pants, she threw on the blazer and checked herself out in the full length mirror.  _It will have to do._ She grabbed her black boots and shoved them on. 

Dany continued her risky streak and glanced up right as Jon was taking off his recently-donned T-shirt in favor of a navy blue button-down.  _I wonder if he realizes we’re matching_ . She could only spend a moment on that before averting her eyes, and starting her search for the kitchen. 

When Dany discovered the room, she found that the kitchen table had papers and books sprawled all across it: questioning guides, a copy of Death of a Salesman, printed notes on symbolism, scrawled question marks and summaries in margins, and lesson plan templates. A drawing of a dragon drew her eye, and she saw sections of the symbolism text highlighted--wisdom, strength, hidden knowledge--the latter circled as well as highlighted.  _What hidden knowledge does Jon have?_ Wanting desperately to continue snooping, she felt the pressure of time again and felt a need to speed the curly-haired man up. Dany turned towards the living room, but yelped back as a big, white, wolf-like dog sat before her. 

“Dany? Are you ok-” Jon started before turning the corner and letting the scene wash over him. Ghost was belly up, Dany kneeling and scratching his stomach, using a high-pitched voice to sing the dog’s praises. It occurred to Jon just how domestic the morning had felt. 

“You didn’t tell me you had a dog, Jon!” Dany turned, her violet eyes sparkling. He finished fastening his belt, chuckling to himself. 

“Technically, you met Ghost last night. Surprising how quickly he took to you. It usually takes some time before he lets strangers do that,” the curly haired man revealed. This made Dany smile even wider before she allowed herself to continue in the hurried pace of the morning. 

“Alright, looks check,” the blonde said, turning in circles so Jon could inspect every angle. He felt a warmth rise up his neck, but nodded shortly after her turn. “Now you,” Dany encouraged, motioning for him to do a spin of his own. 

Dany watched as Jon reluctantly and slowly turned, and she took the opportunity to really take a good look at him. He was wearing a well-tailored button down that was appropriate but fit in all the right ways. Jon’s dark grey slacks curved over his ass and slimmed toward his ankle. The glimpse of his torso she had been gifted earlier that morning flashed behind her eyes, and she had to clear her throat before giving him a thumbs up. 

They made their way to the kitchen, Dany all the sudden feeling very aware of the uncomfortable situation they were in. Jon filled a glass with water and gulped it down with fervor. Dany hadn’t realized how much Jon drank the night before, but seeing him now with less panic in his face, she could sure as hell tell he had been drunk. 

“Do you think they’ll be able to tell?” Dany admitted, grabbing her own glass and chugging it down. She felt his eyes on her, looking at her up and down. She set her glass down. 

“What? That you’re wearing my blazer?” Jon teased. Dany pushed down the encroaching dangerous thought and sent him an annoyed glare.

“No, that we got drunk last night,” she shared, but his suggestion made her uneasy. “But, you might be right. Maybe I shouldn’t wear this,” Dany hesitated, starting to shrug the fabric off her shoulders. 

“No, you look good. I mean, put together. I don’t think anyone will be able to tell, and I’ll just never wear it to work, so no one can connect the dots.” Then, Dany Targaryen’s violet eyes met Jon Snow’s gray ones as they stood for a moment in silence. The blonde felt a pang of want settle just below her stomach, daring her to not back down. 

But it wasn’t the woman who broke eye contact; Jon cleared his throat and placed his glass in the sink. Dany shook herself out of her daze and started opening cabinets, looking for some sort of carb she could eat to soak up the remaining alcohol. Jon reached over her shoulder to open the cabinet that revealed the pantry, and Dany felt the ghost of his breath on her neck and his scent of vanilla and tobacco overwhelmed her senses. Another pang of want settled. 

“I got it, thanks,” she said, tellingly quiet. Jon took a moment, but eventually stepped back to conduct his own search of the fridge.

“Since you won’t have time to go home, I have an extra lunch packed if you want it,” Jon offered, his eyes soft. Dany was about to respectfully decline when her stomach grumbled loud enough to fill the silence. Admitting that she probably wouldn’t get a chance to have a real meal until lunch, she nodded her head. Jon busied himself packing their lunches 

Dany meekly continued her search and decided to grab a breakfast bar. She could still feel the residual tipsiness from the night before, a problem that food could solve faster. 

“You ready?” Jon said, putting the brown paper bags in his backpack. 

“Um, yeah,” Dany stammered. Checking that she had everything--phone, keys, wallet, bag--they rushed their way out the door and to the car. Jon turned the radio on low, and she watched as the trees passed by. 

“So…” started Jon. 

“So…,” she mimicked. “Thanks for letting me crash at yours last night. I was a bit of a mess.”

“You would’ve done the same for me, or, I mean, everyone or anyone from the party.” Dany sensed Jon felt just as uncomfortable as she did. She reached into her bag, pulling out her teacher ID and putting it over her head. 

“You just happened to have your ID?” Jon asked, brows furrowed.

“You never know when you’ll come across a teacher discount,” she answered, feeling a laugh bubble out of her. Jon returned the laugh, and they sat in a renewed comfortable silence. 

___________________

  


**Missy:** _Ho-ly shit, Dany_

**Dany:** _I have no idea what I said to him last night, if anything_

**Missy:** _I gotta say, I’m impressed_

**Dany** **:** _What do you mean? Jon Snow is just a friend and more importantly a coworker_

**Missy:** _It’s been a long time since you let yourself stay over at a guy’s house_

**Dany:** _one, i was drunk and tired, and two, see my last text_

**Missy:** _alrightly, Dragon Queen_

**Dany** **:** _that nickname isn’t even relevant anymore_

  


Dany thought about her college nickname, Dragon Queen--DQ for short. Missy had come up with it after Dany’s long practice of ‘conquering’ and ‘burning’ multiple different partners. It’s not that she intentionally ‘burned’ them. They just wanted something more or something consistent, and she couldn’t provide that, so she cut them off. Missy thought the path of domination then destruction was poetic and needed a properly equal nickname. Dany’s long connection to dragons was just a coincidence. 

  


**Dany** : a _nyway, i’m not the one that actually got laid last night_

**Missy:** _but you are the lucky one that gets to see two sexy beasts as work today! One for you and one for me ;)_

  


Dany knew it was pointless to argue Missy’s assumptions, so she just rolled her eyes and continued working on the details of a lesson. She was almost in a groove when the chair across from her was filled

“So where did you end up staying last night?” Arya asked, putting her feet up on a desk and biting into a Honeycrisp.  _Will I ever be rid of invading questions?_ Determined to not give her coworker any kindling, she stayed silent. “You know, if you don’t tell me, I could easily get it out of Missy,” she threatened. 

“Hey, Dany. I have your lun-” that same familiar male voice faltered as he walked into Dany’s classroom and noticed there was company. It took less than a second before Arya was pointing back and forth between the blonde and the new guy, laughing hysterically to herself. Dany let her head fall to her desk with a thud. 

She heard Jon clear his throat and mutter an apology. Dany turned her head in time to see him place the lunch on a nearby bookshelf, head low and dejected. She wanted to go to him and tell him she didn’t mean it like that and that Arya was just a dick, but she instead swatted at her still laughing coworker. 

“The new guy, Dany? I mean, he is hot by anyone’s standards, but a temp?” the brunette said once she caught her breath. 

“Shut up,” Dany said. Then, as if from the Seven themselves, the bell rang and the popular phrase crossed her mind. 

“We’re not done talking about this, Targaryen,” Arya warned, pointing one last time at her supervisor before walking out of the classroom. Dany forced a smile on her face as her first students ushered themselves in for class. She stood up, grabbing the lunch and stuffing it away, her stomach already grumbling. 

The morning period went by at a mercilessly slow pace. She wanted to find Jon before lunch and apologize for before, but it seemed like the only favor she was getting from the gods that day was the bell that sent Arya away. Dany soon found herself in her normal seat in the designated lunch room, trying and failing to subtly get the attention of the man next to her. Disgruntled, she took a bite of her lunch. 

There was little chatter from the hungover teachers save for the occasional memory from the night before. She swallowed her anxiety, and was just about to nudge Jon when that damned brunette dared to speak.

“What a weird coincidence! It looks like Jon and Dany have the exact same meal in the exact same Tupperware today!” Dany knew her face grew shades of pink, and Jon’s head dropped lower. The blonde shot daggers at her coworker who sat smugly two seats down. No one commented on the ‘coincidence’, but Dany felt the questioning eyes of her coworkers.  _They’re fucking English teachers. Inference is their second nature,_ Dany thought to herself. 

Lunch wrapped up rather quickly, and Jon left the room immediately as the bell rang, not risking being alone with the woman who had so brutally reacted to him earlier. Sighing to herself, she went through the rest of her day in a grumpy haze. 

_____________________

  


Missy was there when Dany arrived home for the first time in 24 hours. Her headset on and gaming, the roommate waved at her as Dany walked past her into her room and closed the door. It had been one of the most bizarre days she’d had in a while, and it felt like whiplash. All the words and feelings, regrets and pangs swirled around her head, desperate to escape. 

_I can’t talk to Missy because she won’t understand why what Arya did was so shitty,_ she thought to herself. The blonde listed all her usual confidantes, and none of them would understand. Dany felt the words at the tip of her fingers, and she knew that there was only one place she could go to organize her thoughts. She reached for her laptop, eager to just get it out of her head and onto the screen. Once she clicked her way to the webpage, she felt her hesitation.  _If I write it down, doesn’t that make it all real?_

She had started her blog 5 years prior as a method of chronicling her writings. In the beginning, she posted old poems and prose she had written throughout college, reminiscing on the days before a relationship turned sour. It was a way for her to achieve her liberation--a location for her troubles and qualms so they didn’t cloud her happiness in person. 

Instead of finding a response to her question, she felt the headache approaching, and started typing. 

  


_The smell of vanilla and tobacco penetrates me in every way_

_except the one way I want most desperately._

  


A few hours later, Dany’s back hurt from hunching over and she felt her stomach cry for attention. Her mind felt clearer, and before she could second guess herself, she posted her writings for the first time in a long time. Closing her laptop, she rid herself of the intrusive thoughts and made her way into the kitchen where Missy was half heartedly stirring a pot of macaroni and cheese, distracted by something on her phone. The sound of that same voice hit Dany’s ears.  _Can I not get a moment of peace without this man’s voice following me?_ she thought to herself. 

“Oh, Dany! Turns out, someone filmed Jon singing last night and posted it on The Wall’s Facebook page,” Missy said when she realized she wasn’t alone. The roommate stopped stirring and held the phone out to Dany, who wanted very badly to not look, but couldn’t help herself. 

On the screen was Jon, that drunken look in his eyes, expertly strumming a guitar. Dany furrowed her brow, having forgotten that part of the night before, as the memories faintly replayed. He wasn’t bad by any means, and she found herself calmed by his Northern accented singing, like something she could easily fall asleep to. Then, the song ended and she heard the shouts for an encore before the man reached his hand out. Dany’s wasted figure stepped up to him, and all the sudden everything was happening so fast as she saw herself wrap her arms around his neck in a hug before releasing just slightly. They were just close enough to-

“No wonder you guys went home together, honestly,” Missy giggled. “You were seconds away from making out on stage.” The roommate went back to stirring the pot as the familiar pang of want settled again below Dany’s stomach. 

“We were not. I was just… thankful,” Dany tried to excuse. “Plus, nothing happened.”

“Oh, no doubt nothing happened. I’m just saying it’s only a matter of time,” the brunette revealed. She reached up to the cabinet to retrieve two bowls, dividing the pasta between them. 

“Missy,” Dany warned as the roommate pushed one of the bowls towards her. They both eagerly dove in. 

“No, I mean it!” Missy started, swallowing a particularly big bite. “I know I joked before about the Dragon Queen thing, but it has been a long time since I saw you look at someone like that. That was a pre-Daario stare.”

Dany didn’t need any more explanation. She understood what Missy meant. Daario had been a particularly difficult part of her life--the first man she ever allowed herself to get close to after Drogo. He’s the reason she started her blog. After a tumultuous and harming relationship, she revoked her former habits. She hadn’t dated anyone in years. She hadn’t really even looked twice at a man.  _But Jon Snow,_ she thought reluctantly. 

“I was just drunk,” Dany explained. “Actually we both were, and I royally fucked any friendship up with him today thanks to your most recent conquest.”

“Arya?” Missy’s ears perked at the name. “Oh, please, Dany. She’s one of your closest friends. I know she couldn’t have meant any harm.”

“Besides hint very strongly to the whole department of my whereabouts last night? Yeah, no, nothing bad could possibly happen with that sort of information getting around. Do you not remember Jorah?” The blonde lost her appetite and pushed her bowl away. 

Jorah had been the department chair when Dany first started working at Winterfell High. About three years after getting hired, he took a particular interest in her which Dany took as a compliment towards her work ethic. He offered to show her the ropes of being a department chair for he was retiring soon, and Dany had innocently thought it was due only to her achievements and good reputation at the school. She quickly discovered his more menacing intentions, just like Daario. Once the principal heard of the intended dalliance of Jorah’s, he was fired, and the whole school was forced to go through a training on the dangers of superiors pursuing their subordinates. Thing was, he was a good teacher, and Dany was hired in his stead. 

“No, I haven’t forgotten,” was the only thing Missy would manage to say. “Tomorrow you can clear things up with Arya, and everything will be fine.” Dany felt bile in the back of her throat, and nodded. 

“Can we please just watch something stupid so I can forget about all my work problems?” Dany begged. Missy’s face lit up with approval, and soon they found themselves on the couch, snuggling only the way best friends could. 

______________________________

  


Jon reached over her shoulder to open the cabinet that revealed the pantry, and Dany felt the ghost of his breath on her neck. Vanilla and tobacco overwhelmed her senses again, the pang of want settling, but this time, she surrendered to it. 

The blonde leaned back into him, hearing her own gasp escape her lips as her back hit his torso. She sensed the moment of hesitation from the man, but he couldn’t resist feeling her velvety skin again. He drew his hand back and gently moved her hair to one side, his fingers tickling the nape of her neck. Dany heard his sharp intake of breath by her ear as he pushed her ass against him. The goosebumps raced against her flesh as Jon’s lips grazed her exposed neck. 

Testing his will, she grinded against him slowly, and his hands gripped her hips tightly, daring her to keep going. Having never backed down from a dare, she placed her hands around his wrists, using him as leverage against himself. Dany allowed her head to fall back on his shoulder, and Jon’s rapidly increasing breaths sang right to her center. She felt him nibble at her neck, tongue and teeth, and realized that lower down, he had sprung up against her. 

The blonde coaxed him away from her hip towards where she needed him, his hand making quick work of the button and zipper. A moan escaped both of them when he slid his finger down her sex. Dany writhed under his touch as she struggled to maintain her grinding pace. She was quickly climbing to her peak, her sighs and groans growing louder, unable to be controlled. The only thing to stop them was Jon’s hand which made its way up her torso, her neck, before resting at her mouth. The pad of his thumb teased her lower lip, and her mouth watered at the prospect of him tasting any part of him. Dany pushed her head forward, taking his thumb in and sucking; she tried very hard not to be disappointed that it wasn’t the part of him she wanted to suck. 

Jon’s breath hitched for the upteenth time, and she felt his pace falter. A groan ruptured from his mouth, husky and Northern, and she used the opportunity to shimmy her trousers down. She heard the metal of his belt hit the ground, and then Dany felt his skin press against hers, the electricity warming every point of contact. Everything in her wanted to go fast, but she fought against her craving in favor of the slow torture of their foreplay. 

Then, there was  _the_ moment--the moment before consummation when they could stop and pretend it never happened. His labored breaths tickled her ear, his hesitation palpable, but Dany couldn’t stop--her inner dragon wouldn’t let her. It wanted to devour the curly-haired man or burn the world. She slowly bent down over the counter, turning her head slightly. Her smile was all the invitation he needed, and she felt him acknowledge her consent before lining himself up against her. 

His slick member brushed over her already-sensitive clit, and her moan extended as he slowly pushed into her. A hiss of his own shuddered past his lips as they got used to each other. Before she knew what she was doing, Dany had slowly started moving on him, taking his cock in fully. She felt him deep inside her, beginning her spiral to ecstasy. Jon gripped her elbows with each of his hands, and held them as leverage of his own as he started pumping into her. His musky scent that seduced her that morning was everywhere and all around them; it was on her and it was her. She couldn’t help the yelps and noises that built up as Dany shook and scorched. Whispers of her name interspersed between grunts of pleasure smothered her, flushing her skin to bright red. Jon released her arms and trailed one hand to her neck where he encaptured it with distinctive strength. This left her heart inflamed and her climax edged. His other hand found her center again, and it took only a moment of his circles, his cock, and his strength before Dany was on the verge of eruption. 

Dany’s woke up with sweat on her brow and a classifiably familiar want at her core.  _Fuck me_ _,_ she thought to herself. She forced herself to ignore her dream and prayed for sleep, but what she got was dissatisfaction, sunlight and a few hours of restless rest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I love all your comments and kudos :)
> 
> If the timeline is unclear: Dany graduates college, starts dating Daario, starts blog with old poems, gets job at Winterfell High, breaks up with Daario a few months later, works for three years, starts getting trained by Jorah, Jorah makes an inappropriate move and gets fired, Dany is promoted to department chair, one year of chairing then, Jon starts working during her second year of chairing.


	4. you so done

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a supposed rejection from Dany, Jon reflects on their few moment together. His thoughts are put into hyperdrive by a conversation with the principal who may or may not have a grudge against the department chair.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I know it has literally been forever. This has been in my drafts for over a month, but it was never what I wanted it to be. This is a much calmer version of the chapter I had originally intended to write. Now that it's Thanksgiving break and the grading system is down, I had nothing better to do but get my ass in gear and just do some writing. 
> 
> I am so appreciative of all y'all who have stuck around, commented, given constructive criticism, and kudos! I love getting those emails in the morning. I feel validated lol. Anyways...
> 
> Chapter title from Noga Erez's "YOU SO DONE" which I heard on the radio this week. I imagine it fading in towards the end with the blog post... (oops, spoliers).

Jon Snow woke that morning with two combating feelings--the first, subconscious thrill about going to work to see a certain blonde and the second, heaviness of a heart that had turned into itself. Pulling the pillow up to cover his eyes, the laugh of Arya Stark echoed between his ears. He was toying with the idea to call into work when the pitter-patter of Ghost paws inched closer, and Jon felt long, soft fur nudge its way under his hand. It was all he needed to push himself up off the bed to get ready for the day; he couldn’t just not go to work. He had a dog to give a good life to. 

It was like everything hit the fan at Winterfell High that day. Spring formal was only two weeks away, and Jon heard through the grapevine that Dany was one of the supervisors and organizers. That completely circumstantial coincidence allowed Jon to stick to awkward glances and waves whenever he passed either Dany or Ayra in the hallways. He decided that he didn’t have to eat with all his new coworkers and threw himself into his work during lunch hour. It actually helped him get on top of the mountain of grading that had accumulated. 

After not showing up for lunch, Davos Seaworth popped his head into Jon’s classroom to find a very concentrated man whose head was propped up by his hands--the classic “what the fuck is this” grading posture. 

“Hey, Jon!” Davos broke the silence and Jon’s head perked towards the door at the sound of a friendly voice. “Too busy for lunch, eh?”

“Yeah, they never really tell you how fast the grading piles up and how long it all takes,” Jon covered. He wasn’t lying, but that wasn’t the only reason he was avoiding the lunch group. 

“You don’t have to convince me,” Davos said, stepping fully into the room and pulling a chair up to the teacher’s desk. “I know the lunch group can be a little overwhelming at times, but I want you to know that I miss having you there. I know it sounds daft since I’ve only known you a little bit more than a week, but you’re one of the good ones.”

“Trust me,” Jon started, his gut twisted in preparation for the following words. “It’s not about the lunch group. It’s about all the work.” The lie tasted acrid in his mouth, but he swallowed it down. No one needed to know what had happened--or hadn’t happened--with Dany. In fact, no one would ever know. It was a miscalculated event that Jon would bring with him to his grave besides the fact that Arya knew as well. And if Arya knew, Missy probably did too. _How many people did Dany tell about her embarrassing mistake of going home with me?_ He was resolved to spiral when Davos made a quintessential old man noise when rising from his chair and turned to leave.

“Oh, I forgot to mention that the principal was looking for you earlier. I don’t know why she wouldn’t’ve just checked your room, but you might want to pop in and see what she wants.” Davos’ voice revealed part fear, part irreverence, and part annoyance. 

Shaken out of his own personal-life crisis, he switched gears to worry about a possibly-impending work-life crisis. Jon had heard a few stories about the principal. Not really well-loved by anyone on campus, the nastiest rumors contributed her appointment of principal to her brother on the Board of Trustees for a well-respected district. Local gossip chat boards proliferated with long-winded stories of punishment and undesirable relationships--a King’s Landing woman in the North? What prompted such a change? Whether or not these mumbles revealed any truths, they had hardened an already strict teacher to a ferocious wall of a principal. If it weren’t for the caring teachers at Winterfell High, parents would probably pull their kids out and send them on transfers to other schools in the district. 

So, after his last period that afternoon, Jon packed up his stuff and walked down to the office to see if he could catch the principal before she left for the day. The gleam of a gold-plated name plaque caught his eye-- _Cersei Lannister_ _._ Holding his breath, Jon knocked on the door. 

“Yes?” called a stern voice. Jon opened the door to an angry-looking blonde who was sitting behind her desk, typing away at her laptop. 

“I heard you were looking for me?” Jon said, straightening his shoulders and stepping further into the room. 

“Oh, yes, right. Take a seat, Jon,” she invited, motioning at a chair in front of her desk. He sat and waited for her to stop typing which took about thirty seconds longer than he really had the patience for at that moment. With a sigh, she closed the laptop and crossed her arms, leaning back in her chair.

“So, Jon, I’m just checking in, seeing how you’re transitioning a few weeks in,” Cersei shared. Though her words should’ve been marked with care and curiosity, they sat dead on her lips. 

“Oh, you know, just catching up on all the grading,” he said weakly. 

“Are you fitting in okay with the other teachers?” her eyebrow perked. 

“Well enough. Some have invited me to eat lunch with them, but I tend to work through lunch.” At that, Jon notices a small glimmer of respect in Cersei’s eyes. _So, she appreciates hard work if anything_ _,_ he thought. “Plus, Dany has been really helpful with all the curriculum.”

The glimmer of respect that only a moment earlier had shown in her eye was temporarily replaced with something like loathing or anger--he couldn’t quite tell. It only appeared for a moment before returning to the blank stare she started the conversation with. 

“Just as a warning, one hardworker to another, keep your distance from Ms. Targaryen. She has a habit of mixing business and pleasure,” the principal said; the antipathy dripped from every syllable. 

It took a few moments for Jon to realize he had been dismissed with a short, “well, just wanted to check in.” In a haze, he said his goodbye and made his way to his car. The brunet scanned his brain for every blog post he had read, pushing away the uncomfortable feelings that now breached when he thought about Dany in any capacity that wasn’t professional. _If something happened, would she have written about it?_ He knew he shouldn’t care this much, but he was far too curious to know if he was one in a long line of many who had been seduced and manipulated by Danaerys Targaryen. _She wouldn’t do that. She’s not that kind of person,_ one voice pushed as another taunted, _You don’t actually know what kind of person she is. It’s only been three weeks._

He raced home cautiously. Jon ran through anything and everything he remembered from his very few glances at her blog. He ignored the revulsion of his actions in his memories in search of anything that would’ve hinted anything nefarious. _She didn’t conquer you. You gave her a place to sleep after a night of drinking and nothing happened._ He grew warmer as flashes of her lips so close to his on stage crossed his mind. The ghost of his pleasure from her poems and thoughts breathed at his neck. His dejection swirled with want in a mind-numbing, heart-wrenching way, and Jon cursed himself for allowing her to get to him. 

He knew he was too close to this to think about it logically, so, making a quick decision at a red light, Jon texted his neighbor asking him to let Ghost out and turned towards the highway.

______________________

“Jon!” the cheerful admission of Samwell Tarly reached Jon’s ears. The heftier man’s tone quickly changed once he saw the look on his friend’s face. “Oh, no, Jon. What happened?”

He hurried them over to an empty conference room in Northern University’s humanities building. Once they were in the room, Jon felt the comfort he felt with Sam settle in even if the harsh fluorescents reminded him of an interrogation. 

“So, what’s got you all down?” Sam poked, sitting across from the confused man. 

“I don’t even know, you know? Everything has been okay at work for the most part,” Jon admitted. 

“Ah, at the new job?” Sam questioned. The troubled man answered with a nod. “Well, go on. I know you didn’t drive all the way here just to sit in silence.”

So, the curly haired man told Sam about everything--the night at the bar, the morning after, the conversation he overheard in Dany’s room, what Principal Lannister said. Jon may have left out just how graphically he thought of Dany, but he did reveal that his heart did flips when he saw her or spoke to her. 

“I see. Well, Jon, let’s break this up. What do you want to do?” Sam asked.

“I want to talk to her, but I can’t let her know that I’ve found her blog.” Jon’s heart had been rung out by the things he revealed, but the guilt found its way through the nooks and crannies anyway. 

“It feels a little like an invasion of privacy, you know… Her not knowing that you’ve a part of her readership,” Sam revealed.

“So, you think I should tell her?” Jon said even though he knew what Sam’s answer would be.

“Ethically speaking, yes, but you need to be prepared for a bad reaction.” 

Jon’s hands were clammy as he listened to his friend, his moral compass, and acknowledged the severity of his actions. 

“But, Jon, do you see a future with her? Or is this something that you could move on and forget about again?” Sam looked at Jon with a knowing stare. The substitute teacher knew what his friend was referring to. It had been years since Ygritte, but Jon wasn’t the same for a long time. Was Jon willing to open himself back up to that kind of hurt again? “I just don’t want you to get hurt, Lord Commander,” Sam continued with a tentative sort of smile, using the nickname Jon had earned in college. 

“I’ll talk to her and set things straight. Then, we’ll see where things go from there,” the curly-haired man resolved. He stood, grabbing his jacket and keys. 

“Oh, and I would be wary of that principal. It kind of sounds like there's something deeper going on there. Maybe don’t trust everything she says until you have all the information.”

With a smile and a hug, Jon made his way back to his house. As he drove he practiced conversations in his head where he might tell Dany about what he knows. 

When Jon finally returned home from the university, it was well past sundown. Ghost ignored him pettily, but quickly changed tunes when the owner gave him not one treat, but two. Feeling exhausted from the day, Jon knew he should go to bed, but Sam’s words echoed in his mind-- _be wary of that principal_. His hands still itched to see if there was any truth to the claim of Cersei Lannister. 

He opened his laptop and told himself it was purely for the preservation of his job. He didn’t need to get involved in something between two very intense women. His hands navigated to The Dragon Queen blog whose web URL embarrassingly autocompleted. He was again greeted by the black and red header, but a new blog post quickly caught his eye. _Posted 2 weeks ago? That was the night we…_ The timeline became clear as he read the first line.

_The smell of vanilla and tobacco penetrates me in every way_

_except the one way I want most desperately._

He knew it in his bones that he should stop reading, but his hands twitched in curiosity and scrolled down even farther while the alarm bells went off in his mind. 

_His breath on my neck--it took everything to not arch into him and give him everything._

_His shirt drapes over my shoulders, and I imagine his hands roaming my torso._

_I feel the softness of his sheets as I grip them sinfully._

_Oh, God, and his voice in the morning pools at my center._

_My hands don’t do my want justice._

_I want his, calloused from years of practice, to bring me to my peak._

_We could’ve… if we let ourselves. And now, we’ll never get the chance._

Though the writing continued, he forced himself to stop. He breathed deeply to fight his racing heart and with a shaky hand, closed his laptop. Despite all of the thoughts running through Jon’s head, his mind felt empty. The words floated around him, and he had no idea what to do. Eventually, one thought stuck: _Dany… likes me?_

Jon couldn’t sleep that night as he ran over every experience he’d ever had with this woman. Instead of getting some much needed rest, he practiced possible conversations he would have with her just like in the car except now, those conversations included some much more R-rated content; Ghost listened patiently. At some point he had dozed off on the couch, hand still clutching the most recent draft of his talking points. At 6:30am, his alarm went off, and he started to get ready for possibly one of the worst decisions he would ever make--professionally and personally.


End file.
